Students and teachers are in shock at Fort Madison High School after the death of the senior-class president. Principal Bernard Stephenson says it happened just before the winter holiday ended. Most of the info students had was word-of-mouth, since it happened Wednesday and the school had only a day to tell students. 18-year-old Zachary Bevier was alone in his car late Wednesday night when it went into a ditch and he was thrown out. Principal Stephenson says counselors were at school Thursday, to talk with students. He says they were needed — Zachary was class president, homecoming king, and lots of students were affected deeply. The principal says it’s a hard task counseling students on the loss of a “good kid.” It was easier for those who have faith, he says, though they might learn a lesson about making the best of your life. He says kids may be more resilient than the adults, who also needed counseling. The boy may have fallen asleep driving between his mother and stepfather’s house at Bonaparte and his father’s home in Madison Wednesday night. Seniors were excused from school to attend Bevier’s funeral today.
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